Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the finding by the Disabled Children’s Partnership’s in their report, Left Behind, published 16 July 2021, that nearly three quarters of disabled children have seen their progress managing their conditions reversed in the covid-19 outbreak, what plans he has to ensure that disabled children can (a) regain lost progress and (b) improve their ability in managing their condition.

As part of COVID-19 recovery planning we are working with the Department for Education and NHS England and NHS Improvement to improve the provision of health services to disabled children, including support for managing their condition. In 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement published guidance making clear that restoration of essential community services must be prioritised for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities aged up to 25 years old and who have an Education Health and Care Plan in place or are going through an assessment for one. We have invested £6.6 billion from March to September 2021 to help National Health Service recovery and an additional £1 billion to reduce waiting times for patients, including disabled children, to access NHS services.